1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and systems for enabling conversations among people about task-centric physical objects.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many systems support synchronous and asynchronous communications between non-collocated individuals. Examples are telecommunication devices with voicemail/voice messaging and computer mediated communication such as text and audio chat with email and file sharing.
However, a common problem with most communication tools is that conversations tend to be separated from, and have no connection or relationship to, the shared artifacts (i.e. physical object) of interest being discussed. A somewhat unusual linkage between conversation and artifact is illustrated in FIG. 1. This shows a work situation in which a car is being repaired and a wax marker is used to communicate the next steps in the repair procedure for the car. The object of the discussion (i.e., the car) is being used to communication information about itself asynchronously.
In general, this object-conversation separation is a problem for certain kinds of collaborations, namely, those characterized as “tightly” coupled. Tightly coupled collaborations often involve problem solving with others through conversations over shared artifacts (e.g. documents, tools, work products, shared resources, etc). Such “object laden” conversations depend on shared context, i.e. that collaborators have visual access to the artifact or representation to that artifact (i.e., picture, description), either all at once or each at separate times. At the other end of the continuum, loosely coupled collaborations often involve elaborative conversations. Elaborative conversations are relatively independent of the material world and include instances of narration, argument and application.
Evidence suggests that elaborative conversations are easy to achieve, but that object-laden conversations are not. For example, interviews with collaborators who use virtual environments suggest that in chat spaces users will paste text into the shared chat window or find some other means for sharing the specific content over which they wish to converse. However, such pasting can have the side-effect of taking the pasted-in material out of its context. In collaborative virtual environments (CVE), people and artifacts are represented as avatars and shared objects, each requiring work to construct and maintain. Objects in CVEs can be hyperlinked, thereby facilitating discussion about objects in context to other settings. In voice conversation, descriptions maybe constructed on the fly through deictic references, explanation, or props (e.g., a picture of the physical objects, statements like “the red car in the back of the lot next to the silver sedan we just brought in”, and formally kept descriptive maintenance logs). In video teleconferencing content sharing must be prearranged (e.g., putting documentation in repositories, bringing objects to discuss to the conferencing center).
There is a need for methods and systems that provide more effective and efficient object-laden conversations between people that are not collocated. Further, there is a need for methods and systems that enable improved communications about physical objects of interest that are not regarded as communication devices themselves.